George Spangler Farm & Field Hospital

Site

CLOSED FOR THE SEASON

In July 1863, a thriving family farm was suddenly transformed as the Union 11^th Corps converted the property to a field hospital for more than 1,900 wounded soldiers.

Today, the George Spangler Farm & Field Hospital stands as the best surviving example of a corps-level field hospital used during the Battle of Gettysburg.

Meticulously renovated, the site features restored, original buildings from the 1863 battle to inspire and explore:

• The stone farmhouse where George Spangler, his wife Elizabeth and four children lived. The family chose to remain during the battle and ongoing field hospital activities, with all six family members moved to just one room of their house.
• The Pennsylvania bank barn served as the hospital where both Union and Confederate soldiers received care.
• The summer kitchen used by the family during the warm Pennsylvania summers. Records indicate this is the place where Confederate General Lewis A. Armistead died from wounds he received during Pickett’s Charge.

The site, with living history programming in summer, is open to visitors Friday-Sunday through early Aug. Admission to the site is free with purchase of a ticket to Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center programs and access to the site is free with a Friends of Gettysburg membership. 

NOTE: Following suggested health and safety guidelines, living history programming and encampments were not available in Summer 2020.

Significance

Why visit the George Spangler Farm & Field Hospital?

Walk the grounds, hear the stories and feel the emotions of life–and death–at this historic site forever changed by battle.

Docents provide insight and accounts of experiences on the farm in July 1863:

• A family forever altered as their farm suddenly transforms from home to hospital.
• Surgeons and caregivers desperately providing for the wounded amid the chaos of battle.
• Soldiers experiencing the horrors of war and the humanity of everyday citizens.

 

Story

A family farm.

A strategic location.

A battlefield hospital.